5% Amazon Cashback from Giving Assistant Going Away Starting November 1st - Make Your Purchases Now!

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site:  Giving Assistant

As per the email Giving Assistant sent out, the Amazon 5% cashback will removed starting November 1st.

They are currently offering $5 to sign up for both the referrer and the referree after your first purchase so feel free to sign up from my link. Thanks!

Time to make your purchases to get the extra 5%

Make sure to use your Discover it card to pay for your Amazon purchases to earn 5% back now and 5% back in 13 statements if you are enrolled in the Double Double Cashback promotion for a total of 15% cashback for Amazon purchases if you haven't already maxed out on those purchases.

Keep in mind that purchases of Amazon gift cards have been working to trigger 5% cashback, but it is not guaranteed.

Discover Deals Now Excluding Gift Card Redemptions and Purchases - The Party May Be Over

HT - TG via DM

Discover Deals has now added a new exclusion to Sears purchases.  Now both gift card purchases and redemptions are excluded.

Since October 1st, only gift card redemptions have been excluded and the reports were positive that the portal was tracking redemptions anyways, but now there quite a few reports that gift card redemptions are no longer tracking.

I think it's safe to say that this is now risky business.

It was profitable while it lasted, but this party may be over :(

Amazon Prime Membership $67 for New Members Only - Now Live

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Amazon, Discover, Giving Assistant

Amazon is selling certificates for Amazon Prime membership for a year for $67 for new members only.  It is normally $99 a year

The gift subscriptions are not being discounted so this is for new members only.

Amazon Prime Available Tomorrow for $67 per Year - New and Existing Customers

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Amazon, Discover, Giving Assistant


Tomorrow, starting at 12am ET until 11:59pm PT, Amazon will sell certificates for Amazon Prime membership for a year for $67 for new members only.  It is normally $99 a year.

At the same time, you will be able to buy a "gift of prime" for $67.  The gift subscriptions never expire so you could theoretically lock in a $67 price for as many years as you want.  You can send it to your email and then open the link when you are ready to activate an extra

Check out Dan's Deals for the details and how to turn off Auto Renew on your existing prime membership

Existing members cannot get the discount.

iPads on Sale at Walmart

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Amazon, Discover 


 HT: TG via DM



Walmart is selling a few iPads at really good prices and, as opposed to last time, these are ranked much higher.

Here are the specs:

iPad Air 32GB with Wifi and AT&T for $350 - There is silver and space gray available and you can buy 2 of each color

These sell for $415-$430 on Amazon, depending on the color.

Do You Know Someone Moving? Make Sure They Get a Discover Card

I know a family who is in the process of moving homes.  They were in need of appliances and called me.  They asked me for a card which has a promotional 0% APR for a while.  I never keep a credit card balance since that ruins any benefits of credit cards so I didn't know the information offhand other than the Chase Slate.

I quickly looked up Discover, hoping they would have a 0% APR and found that it did for the first 12 months.  We were in business since I knew I would be able to save them a ton of money.

Turnover Tuesdays - What Happened to My Surface Pro 3?

For those who are not familiar, I started a series a while back called Turnover Tuesdays. Every Tuesday I like to highlight one item that I have resold. This will include profitable and non profitable sales. I hope that there is always something to learn.


Week 1 - First attempt at reselling
Week 2 - My second straight fail
Week 3 - My iPad mini collection
Week 4 - Bed Bath and Beyond
Week 5 - An iPad Idea for Your Staples Gift Card Collection

Week 6 - An iPad idea for Manufactured Spending
Week 7 - The Great iPad Deal that Wasn't
Week 8 - Lenovo Tablets
Week 9 - iPads at Staples
Week 10 - Loving that Groupon iPad Deal
Week 11 - iPads on Sale at Sears
Week 12 - Roombas at Bed Bath and Beyond
Week 13 - My Sam's Club iPad Collection for the $20k Challenge
Week 14 - Best Buy Gift Cards Fail
Week 15 - Staples Ink Recycling and Staples Rewards

Sam's Club Plus Membership on Sale at Living Social - $45 with a $20 Gift Card

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Living Social, Discover, Top Cashback


HT - Slickdeals

Update: Use Promo Code 15OFFLS for an additional 15% off.  Thanks Marc.  Promo code no longer working.

Living Social is selling a Sam's Club Plus Membership for $45 (this is normally $100) with a $20 Sam's Club gift card and $22 in vouchers for food.  I have diet restrictions and my local Sam's Club gave me $42 of gift cards instead of the food vouchers. That is definitely YMMV.

Sam's Club gift cards can also be used at Walmart.

This is a no brainer if you are a reseller.

Many Positive Developments for Dell Reselling Deal

About 2 weeks ago I posted a possible reselling Dell using an American Express offers for you of $100 off a $600 purchase at Dell along with some Dell TV's that have large ePromo gift cards.

Since then, a few things things have happened, all positive, that make this deal even better.

iPads on Sale at Sam's Club - Only Available Until 10am ET

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Raise, Sam's Club, Amazon, Be Frugal


I'm on vacation so I don't have time to really go into detail, but I couldn't resist with this deal.  It's going to steal the thunder from my Turnover Tuesday's post for tomorrow, but hey this is available and I didn't want you to miss out.


iPad Air 2 64GB Wifi Cellular is $130 off from Sam's club.(One of the Shocking Values) Max 10 per Member

Petco and American Express - $7.00 per AmEx Card - Approach with Caution

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site:  Top Cashback, Discover, Petco


HT - TZ via email


One of the new American Express Offers for You is for Petco.  The offer is $15 off a $50 purchase and expires on 8/30/2015.

First of all, if you don't have a Petco account, I would appreciate it if you signed up with my referral link.  We will both earn $10 off a purchase at Petco.  It won't work on gift cards (that would be nice!).


There isn't too much money to be had, but let's work this through as some might be interested for the points or hitting a minimum spending threshold and for the possible extra money maker at the end.

$30 off Amazon Fire with Discover Card or Discover Rewards

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site:  Amazon



$30 off Amazon Fire with Discover

Use promo code DISC30KND  and you will save $30 off select Amazon fire tablets.


The great part about this is that Discover is paying out 5% on purchases from Amazon.com which will turn into 10% after 13 months if you are enrolled in the Discover Double promotion.

Making Purchases Today During Prime Day

A couple of reminders for Amazon Prime Day which is today:


1) Use your Discover it to pay.  Discover gives you 5% cashback at Amazon on up to $1,500 of purchases until the end of September in their rotating categories.  If you are enrolled in the Discover Double promotion, that 5% will turn into 10% after your 13th statement from when you enrolled.

If you don't have a Discover card, please consider signing up from my referral link.  We will each get $50 (after your first purchase) which will be doubled after 13 months.

2) Use a referral link to support your favorite blogger if you can't use a shopping portal.  This goes a long way for bloggers and is highly appreciated.

This is my referral link.



For example, Ebates gives 3% cashback on Amazon purchases on Shoes, Handbags, Wallets, Beauty and Grooming, Baby and Amazon Local.

• 
  

Living Social - 15% Coupon Code - Multi Use

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Living Social, Discover it



Living Social has coupon code REUSE that allows for 15% off on multiple transactions.

Start your purchase from Discover Deals (requires a Discover credit card) and earn another 10% now which can double to 20% after your 13th statement enrolled in Discover's Doubling promotion.  Only for new cardholders.

Fishing for Miles - Macy's eGift Card Purchases - This Might be Huge but It Won't Be

Travel with Grant posted today about a new targeted American Express Offers for You.  He monitors these well so he is a good person to follow regularly.

My mind is a little twisted, but I get real excited when these come out.  How can we game this?  Let's try to figure this out.

I will tell you ahead of time that this is pure speculation and honestly I think it is far more likely to fail than work, but there is nothing to lose other than time and sanity.  The upside potential is fantastic so let's get to work.

My Folding Chairs Purchase

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Raise, Ebates, Discover, ExtraBux and Top Cashback



Recently, I was voluntold to buy 15 folding chairs for my local basement, I mean Synagogue. The budget I was given was $20 a chair and the only requirement was a chair with a cushion.  I will show you the process I went through to buy the chairs.  The numbers are slightly different compared to last week, but the process is the same.

Where to buy from?

The first place I check is almost always Google Shopping.  I typed in "Folding Chair Cushion" and this is what popped up.

I clicked on the one that said $14.99 to see what the breakdown was and this is what I saw:

At first I chose Sears because it was even cheaper, but it was out of stock.  Next I went to Kmart assuming I can get free shipping because I was spending a lot of money.

Determining the Final Price Before Gift Cards

I usually look for coupon codes from Ebates (My referral link - you don't need an account to search for coupon codes, but I would certainly appreciate it).

Here is what Ebates shows for Kmart

You can save $5 off a $45 purchase with coupon code KMARTMUST.  Other coupon codes might better if you are spending different amounts, but this is the best one for our order.  In order to save the most, I would need to buy them inn 3 separate orders to save $15 total.


At Kmart, I put 5 chairs in my shopping cart.  After the coupon code, the price goes to $102.23 after taxes.  Slightly more than $20 including taxes, but we are not done yet.

I will need to place another 3 orders so I will be spending $306.69

Discount Gift Cards

I check Gift Card Granny for the best prices on gift cards.  I tend to only buy the eGift Cards since I want them faster before prices change.  Currently, Raise has the best rates (8.85% off).

Start your Raise purchase from Top Cashback and get an extra 5% cash back as well. Go to Top Cashback first, then go to the regular Raise website from Top Cashback.

I would want to buy about $300 of gift cards (I try not to put more than the purchase price so that I don't have to keep track of the extra money).

I am able right now to buy 3 $100 gift cards for $273.67

Buying the Item

I check Cashback Monitor to see which shopping portal gives the greatest percentage back.  Right now, the highest cashback is 5% from Discover Deals (requires a Discover Credit Card) or from ExtraBux, which can be used with any credit card.

Therefore, when you buy the item with your gift cards, you should get another 5% cashback.  I already received an email from Discover that my cashback will be awarded to my account.


In addition, don't forget to sign up for Shop Your Way Rewards to get another 1% of your purchase towards your next Kmart/Sears purchase.

The Final Tally

The items would cost $319.50 including tax without any coupon codes or deals.

Coupon codes - Final price $306.69 or $12.81 off
Gift Cards - Final price $273.67 for $300 of gift cards or $26.33 off
Top Cashback for Raise - 5% off $273.67 or $13.68 off
Discover Deals/ExtraBux - 5% cashback from $306.69 or $15.33 back
Shop Your Way Rewards - 1% back from $306.69 or $3.06 towards your next purchase


 That's a total of $68.15 back (21.3% off) and $3.06 towards your next purchase.

Final price is $251.35 or $16.76 per chair.  Under budget and not too shabby!


Personally, I am still waiting on the Top Cashback money through Raise.  I have lodged a ticket for missing cashback, hopefully that will come through soon.

My Ideal Wallet - Q1 2015

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Credit Sesame

These are the Credit and Debit cards that will either be in my wallet from January 1st until the end of March 2015


Make sure to sign up for Credit Sesame and/or Credit Karma to monitor any changes in your credit history for free (I have both).

• American Express Blue Preferred – 6% cash-back at groceries (up to 6k a year), 3% at gas and 1% everywhere else.  There is a $75 annual fee so it is only for those who spend a lot of money on groceries or for those who have a close Supermarket that sells $500 Visa Gift Cards.
• $150 sign up bonus for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months - email me for a referral, public link is for $100 only.
• You get 6% on gift cards you buy at the grocery store as well.
• Not as important this quarter because of Chase Freedom.

• Chase Freedom – 5% cash-back at grocery stores, movie theaters and Starbucks. 
• $75 maximum cash back per quarter.  You need to activate the 5%.
• Chase Freedom 2015 5% categories
• $100 sign up bonus for spending $500 in 90 days, you will get another $25 bonus if you add an authorized user who makes one purchase in the first 90 days.

• Discover it® - 5% cash-back on Gas and Ground Transportation.
• 5% cashback for Discover is actually more than 5%
• Must be activated before purchase to qualify for cashback bonus
• Most 7-11 Stores are considered Gas Stations and sell $500 Vanilla One Visa Gift Cards and Paypal Reload Cards.  Your particular cashier/manager may not allow for credit cards to be used for the purchase.

• Citi Dividend - 5% cashback on Macy's and other Home Furnishing stores.
• Up to $6,000 of purchases a year instead of $1,500 a quarter (up to $300 cashback for the year).
• Unfortunately, unlike last year, pharmacies are not a category at any point.  I likely won't use this card much until July when Airlines are one of the categories.

• Chase Ink Classic (Business Card) - 5% cashback at Office Supply Stores, Cable, Phone (Landline or cell) and Internet bills.
• 20,000 Ultimate Rewards for spending $3,000 in 3 months.
• No annual Fee

• Bank of America Better Balance Rewards - $25 back for every quarter that you pay your full bill or more than the minimum balance in every month.  Another $5 if you have a Bank of America Checking account.
• Best Usage - Set up a monthly bill on this card and auto pay the full balance. You never have to think about it and then every three months you will get $30.
• You can try to get multiple of these cards as well.

• Bank of America Cash Rewards - 3.3% on Gas into a Bank of America Checking account - 5.25% on gas if you have preferred rewards

• Fidelity American Express Investment Rewards – 2% cash-back everywhere else.
•  This card is always in my wallet

• Charles Schwab Check Card – Unlimited Free ATMs Withdrawals at every ATM in the world
• This card is always in my wallet

Living Social 20% Off Today

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Living Social, Discover card


Yesterday, I waiting online to "pay" for tickets at The Liberty Science Center when I overheard someone next to me say, "I can't believe I found a Living Social deal this morning. $9 is such a good deal!  I can't get over it!"

I had to bite my tongue from telling them that I if they had a Bank of America credit or debit card they would be paying $9 less than they paid.  I didn't want to ruin their good deal.

The real problem, though, is that $9 is way too much money to be paying for that Living Social deal.  Use promo code CYBERSALE2 to save 20% off any Living Social deal until the end of the day.

In addition, start your shopping from the Shop Discover (requires a Discover Credit Card) and you will get another 10% off.  Pay with your Discover card and you will get another 5% off!


20% off would have dropped the price to $7.20, 15% more cashback would have dropped the price by another $1.08. Final price could have been $6.12 instead of $9.00 or 32% off!  Oh, well!







Don't have a Living Social account?  Sign up from my link and you will get $10 in Living Social Money

Discover It Quarter 4 - Online Gift Cards Not Automatically Qualifying for 5% Cashback

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Discover it, Raise

Discover It has rotating quarterly categories where you can earn 5% cashback on different purchases.

Quarter 4, which is from now until the end of the year includes online shopping.  Last year, I used this category to buy Discounted Gift Cards from places like Raise and Junkcard.  I assumed the same would be for this year, I was wrong.

I made a purchase on Junkcard and didn't get my 5% cashback.  Normally, this means I need to message Discover to make a manual adjustment.  I did that and got back this response.  Bolds are my own.

Hello Oren, Thank you for your email regarding the current 5% Cashback Bonus Program.* I understand you would like to know why you did not earn 5% Cashback Bonus on a specific purchase, and I am happy to help you with this today.After reviewing your account, I see the purchase made with Junkcard LLC did not qualify as an online transaction because it is not listed in this specific category. JunkCard LLC is considered a service provider since no merchandise is sold. However, you will still receive the standard Cashback Bonus for this purchase.**I appreciate you taking the time to contact us today and hope this explanation was helpful. Thank you for choosing to use Discover!Best Regards,

I don't have first hand knowledge of this, but I have to assume that anything purchased from Gift Card Mall or from American Express is going to be treated the same way.

My Children's Place Purchase

Disclaimer: I receive a referral commission for the following link(s) and I greatly appreciate supporting the site: Discover it, Be Frugal


My wife and I recently bought a coat for my son and I thought the process might be helpful for others.  If you follow regularly, you won't notice anything much out of the ordinary, but it can be nice to see how it comes together for an everyday purchase.

If you have any tips for me or if you like or dislike this type of post, please comment below!


It usually works like this in my house.  My wife picks out something she wants for herself or one of my son's, sends me a link and then it becomes my job to figure out the best way to buy it.

My wife chose this coat for my son from The Children's Place.

When I bought it, the full price was $52.46.  I could be a sucka and pay $52.46 or I can figure out a way to pay less.

To be fair, I had a $5 Loyalty Coupon, which you can only get from previous purchases so let's assume the price is $5 less or $47.46.

The Discounts

Here is what I look for, in order.

• I want to figure out the final price after shipping and taxes.  I will usually buy a discounted gift card and I don't want any balance left over so I want a gift card that has slightly less than the final price.  In this case, I wasn't able to find one, but I got one for slightly more than the price of the coat and I will keep the balance for a later purchase.

• Promo code: ~$9.50
• I just Google something like "Children's Place promo code" and see what comes up.
• In this scenario, I found a promo code that took 20% off.  So the price dropped from $47.46 to $37.97, a savings of around 9.50.

• Buying a Discounted Gift Card - ~$5.70
• I check Gift Card Granny for the best prices on gift cards.  Gift Cards are currently only available in higher denominations ($85 or above), but they are 15% off, the same as when I bought my gift card.  15% off $37.97 is $5.69

• Using a Shopping Portal - ~$3.00-$3.80
• I check Cashback Monitor to see which shopping portal gives the greatest percentage back.  Right now, the highest cashback is 10% from Shop Discover (requires a Discover Credit Card).  If you don't have a Discover card and aren't planning on getting one, Be Frugal is awarding 8% cashback.  
• This cashback will be 8-10% off the final purchase price ($37.97).  Shop Discover and Be Frugal don't care that you paid less than face value for the gift cards.  

• Using the Correct Credit Card - $1.90
• This actually applies for when you are buying the gift card, but I'll mention it now.  Until the end of the year, Discover It is offering 5% cashback on any online shopping.  5% of $37.97 is $1.90.

• My Place Rewards - 2.5% or $0.95 towards the next purchase
• The Children's Place will give you 5 points for every $1 you spend.  1,000 points can be redeemed for a $5 loyalty card.  This is effectively 2.5% towards your next purchase.

The Final Tally

• Original price = $47.46

• Discounts - $9.49 + $5.69 + 3.80 + $1.90 = $20.88 + $0.95 towards the next purchase
• $9.49 coupon code
• $5.69 discounted gift card
• $3.80 Shopping Portal
• $1.90 Credit Card
• $0.95 towards your next purchase

• Final Price - $26.58 or 56% off + $0.95 towards my next purchase at The Children's Place.  Not too Shabby!